Green Commodore (Sumalia daraxa) - Sikkim Butterfly

 

This remarkable insect is commonly known as the Green Commodore. It belongs to the brush-footed butterfly family Nymphalidae, genus Sumalia, and species Sumalia daraxa.

For identification, its appearance stands out immediately: rich, velvety chocolate-brown wings crossed by a radiant, sea-green central band that breaks into neat spots toward the tips, plus distinct reddish-orange patches with dark dots near the bottom edges of the hindwings. It is native to South and Southeast Asia, with a natural distribution covering Nepal, Bhutan, Northeast India, Myanmar, and Thailand.

Historically described in 1848 by the British naturalist Edward Doubleday, this species holds great ecological significance as an active pollinator and mud-puddler, sipping vital minerals from moist riverbed soils.